Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism? The welfare state and the post‐industrial trajectory in the Netherlands after 1980

In his path‐breaking Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Esping‐Andersen distinguishes three types of welfare states. Each of these types is characterised by a specific labour market regime and also by a specific post‐industrial employment trajectory. On the basis of its labour market regime, the Netherlands is considered to be a corporatist welfare state just like Germany. We should expect, therefore, a post‐industrial trajectory in the Netherlands that strongly resembles Esping‐Andersen's description of the German trajectory. This, however, is not the case.